The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-31
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN,
DAY SERMON.
Subject Concerning the Bigots."

TEXT: "Then said they unto him, sa,
no,u Shibboleth; and he said Stbboleth; fol
he could not frame to pronounce 1t right
The,, then took him and Slew him at the pas
sages of Jordan. Judges xii, 6.
Do you notice the difference Of pronuncia
ton between shibboleth and sbboieth! A
cav. And yet that difference was the differ
ence between life and death for great many
people. The Lords people, Gilead and
Ephraim, got into great fight, and Ephrain
was worSted, and on the retreat came
to the fords of the river jordan tt
cross Order was given that all Euphraim
ties coming there should be slain. But no"
could it be found ont who were were
remuneration. Shibboieth was a word that
stood for river. The EphraimiteS had
brogue of their own, and when they tried to
saw shibboleth always left out the sound OF
the tsh.n When it was asked that they say
shibboleth they said Sibboleth, and were slain.
s'Then said they unto him, Say now Shibbo-
leth and he said Sibbo!eth, for he could not
frame to pronounce it right. Then they took
him and slew him at the passage OF Jordan. u
A very small difference, you say, between
Gilead and Ephraim, and vet how much in
tolerance about that small difference. The
Lords tribe in our time-by which l mean
the different denominations Of Christians
sometimes magnify very small difference,
and the only difference between scores of de-
nominations to day is the difference between
shibboleth and sibboleth.
The church OF God is divided into great
number of denominations Time would fail
me to tell of the CalviniStS, and the Armln-
lans, and the Sabbatariaus, and the Baxter
ians, and the Dunkers, and the Shakers, and
the Quakers, and the Metho lists, and the
Baptists, and the EniScopalians. and the
LutheranS, and the Congregationalists and
the Presbyterians, and the Sp:ritualists, and
a score of other denominations of religionistS,
some of them founded by very good men,
some of them founded by very egOtiStic men,
and some of them founded by very bad men,
But as I demand for myself liberty of con-
science, I must give that SaTe liberty to
every other man, remembering that he no
more differs from me than differ from him.
Iadvocate the largest liberty in all religious
belief and form of worship. In art. in
politics, in morals, and in religion let there
be no gag law, no moving of the previous
question, no persecution, no intolerance.
You know that the air and the water keep
pure by constant circulation, and think
there is tendency in religious discussion to
purifcation and moral health. Between the
Fourth and the Sixteenth centuries the church
proposed to make people think Alright by pro-
hibiting discussion and by strong censorship
of the press and by rack. and gibbet, and
hot lead down the throat, tried to make peo-
pie orthodox; but it was discovered that you
cannot change a mans belief by twisting
of his head, and that you cannot make man
see things differently by putting an awl
through his eyes. There is something in e
mans conscience which will hurl off the
mountain that you throw upon it, and, un-
singed Of the fire, ont of the flame will make
red wings on which the martyr will mount to
glory.
In that time OF which sreak, between the
Fourth and Sixteenth centuries, people went
from the house of God into the most appal-
ling iniquity, and right along by consecrated
licentiouSness such as the world never heard
Of and the very sewers of perdition broke
loose and flooded the church. After while
the printing press was freed, and it broke the
shackles Of the human mind Then there
came large number of bad books, but where
there was one man hostile to the Christian
religion there were twenty men ready to adj
vocate it; so I have not any nervousness in
regard to this battle going on between truth
and error.
The truth will conquer just as certainly as
that God is stronger than the devil. Let
error run if you only let truth run along
with it. Urged on by skeptic's shout and
Observation-Disclosures spur, let it run. Gods
angels of wrath are in hot pursuit, and
quicker than eagles beak catches out
hawks heart Gods vengeance will tear it to
pieces.
Ipropose this morning to speak to you ofse
tarianism-its origin, its evils and its curses.
There are those who would make us think
that this monster, with horns and hoofs,
Is religion. l shall chase it to its hiding.
place, and drag it out of the caverns of
darkness and rip off his hide. But want to
make a distinction between bigotry and the
lawful fondnes, for peculiar religious beliefs
and forms Of worship. have no admiration
Tor a nothingarian.
In world of such tremendous vicissitude
and temptation, and with a soul that must
after while stand before throne of insult
ferable brightness, in day when the rock
ing of the mount :iEs and the flaming of the
heavens and the upheaval of the sea shall be
among the least Of the excitementS, to give
account for every thought, word, action,
preference and dislike-that man is mad who
has no religious preference. But our early
education, our physical temperament, our
mental constitution will very much decide
our form of worship.
A style of psalmody that may please me
may diSpleaSe YOU. Some would like to nave
a minister in gown, and bands, and surplice,
and others prefer to have minister in plain
citizens apparel. Some are most impressed
when little child is presented at the altar
and sprinkled with the waters OF holy bene-
diction Gin the name of the Father. and Of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost and others
are more impressed when the penitent comes
up out of the river. his garments dripping
with the waters of n baptism which signifies
the washing away of sin. Let either have
his own way. One man likes no noise in
prayer, not q word, not a whisper Another
man just as good prefers by gcsticulation and
exclamation to express his devotional asplra-
tions One is just as good as the other.
every man fully persuaded in his own
George Whitefield was going over Quaker
rather roughly for some of his religious senti-
ments, and the Quaker said George, l am
as thou art: / am for bringing all men to the
hope of the Gospel; therefore, if thou wilt not
quarrel with me about my broad brim, will
not quarrel with thee about thy black gown.
George, give me thy hand"
I. In tracing out the religion OF Sectarlan-
ism, or bigotry, find that great deal of it
comes from wrong education in the home
circle. There are parents who do not think
it wrong to caricature and jeer the peculiar
forms OF religion in the world and denounce
other sects and other denominations. 1t is
very often the case that that kind Of educa-
ton acts iustS opposite to what was expected,
and the children grow up and, after while
90 and see for themselves; and looking in
those churches, and finding that the people
are good there, and they love God and keep
his Commandments, by natural reaction thrj
20 and join those very churches l cou''i
mention the names Of prominent !nin!StesS ot
the gospel who spent their whole lives bonn,
harding other denominations. anu VINO ilFca
to see theD children preach the Gospel in
those very denominations. But it is often the
case that 'bigotry starts in household and
that the subject Of it never recoverS' Inere
are tens of thousands of bigots 10 years OLD
think scctarianisin and bigotry also rise